LOCAL NEWS:
• July 2024 HELP! The pipe organ pitch is at 432, and the piano is at 442! The recent cold weather in Perth had caused the pipe organ to drop in pitch - could we supply an Allen organ so that the piano-organ concert could still go ahead on the weekend? Of course, and the concert at Wesley Church featuring Alessandro Pittorino and Jonathan Bradley was a great success.
Here are links to two of the recordings from the concert:
Gustav Holst's Mars from the Planets suite
• July 2023 Allen Organs offer the ability to be able to make complete tonal adjustments to the organ, and on some models, the ability to substitute different voices. We have recently been involved in doing just that to two different installations.
In one instance, the owner did not like the Swell Rohr Bourdon in the English suite as it sounded too similar to the Great Harmonic Flute. Allen’s Digital Organ Voicing Editor (DOVE) software allowed us to replace the Rohr Bourdon with a Nason Flute. Additionally, the owner was not using the Erzhaler Celeste stop, as he did not like hearing the beating between the two celeste ranks. The solution was to put the celeste back to being in tune, and altering the pitch up one octave. This provided a string rank at unison, plus the second rank which was now an octave higher and in tune.
At another installation, the organist required a little more treble response, and a lower overall volume. Again, this was easily provided, to positive feedback from both the organist and congregation. Whilst tonal alterations are limited on older organs, they are easily provided on the later model instruments.
• July 2022 His Majesty's Theatre is an Edwardian Baroque Theatre located in Perth on the corner of Hay Street and King Street. In July 2022, the West Australian Opera performed the opera TOSCA composed by Giacomo Puccini. This production featured the West Australian Opera Chorus, West Australian Opera Children's Chorus and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rebecca Lang and directed by Patrick Nolan.
For the performance of TOSCA, the installation of an Allen organ, played by Tommaso Pollio along with the WA Symphony Orchestra was required. This is the second time an organ has been installed at His Majesty's Theatre, the provious time was the same organ in 2019 for the production of Sweeny Todd.
The organ used was an Allen model L-124. This is a two manual instrument with 35 speaking stops including six GeniSys voices. Click for the complete stoplist of this instrument.
• October 2021 The latest movement of an organ was into the Pan Pacific Hotel's Golden Ballroom for the Western Australian Freemason's Grand Installation ceremony. The instrument used was an Allen L124, 2 manual organ with four external speaker cabinets. An external feed was provided for an online streaming feed. This was a colourful ceremony and Allen Organs were pleased to be able to contribute to a suceessful event.
• June 2021 Alessandro Pittorino recently made use of an Allen Organ in presenting a Bach concert at the Grove Library. Organised by Cappuccino Concerts, the concert was aptly titled "Bach Amongst The Books". Alessandro made good use of the capabilities of the digital organ in creating a wide tonal separation by having the swell division on one side of the audience, and the great division on the other side of the audience. In a number of pieces, he used the different organ divisions to showcase the melody against the harmonies; convincingly alternating between sounds from different areas of the library. A wonderful concert presented by a master musician.
• April 2021 Allen Organs was pleased to be able to support the 2021 Anzac Reflections concert which was performed by the Perth Symphonic Chorus with the use of an Allen organ for the event. The concert was held in the Redemptorist Monastery in Northbridge and featured Dr Margaret Pride and the Perth Symphonic Chorus, with Alessandro Pittorino on the organ. (The concert was originally scheduled to occur on Anzac Day, but due to a snap Covid lockdown, actually occurred on 7 June.)
• January 2021 Allen Organs was pleased to be able to support the Rotary Club of Freshwater Bay's 2021 fund raising concert. Held at Woodbridge House on the afternoon of Australia Day, the concert raised about $7,000 for Rotary projects. It was a wonderful concert at twilight in the grounds of Woodbridge House with the majestic house as a backdrop and the Freeze Frame Opera Truck as the stage. Featuring amazing performers - Daniella Sicari, Caitlin Cassidy, Brett Peart, Rising Stars from our Rotary Family Beth Redwood and Olivia Ferguson, Wonderkinda organist extraordinaire Alessandro Pittorino and accompanist, the incredible Caroline Badnall.
• December 2020 Just arrived in Perth is our newest organ for demonstration. A model so new, you couldn't find details of it on the Allen Organ website when it arrived! The GeniSys G100 is an organ with all the latest GeniSys technology and features, but in a more compact console. It has 34 speaking stops, GeniSys Voices, GeniSys Remote plus the GeniSys touchscreen for the ultimate in organ control and flexibility.
Visit our Studio Organs page for more details and drop us an email or give us a call to come and hear this exciting new model Allen Organ.
• November 2020 During the week, we delivered an Allen organ to the Windsor Theatre in Nedlands. Alessandro Pittorino was presenting live music on the organ at 1:00pm on Sundays, just before the Retro Sunday's Cosy Afternoon Classic movie.
Hailed as "Australia's wunderkind organist" by ABC TV, Alessandro Pittorino is a Masters graduate of The Juilliard School in New York where he studied with Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.
Many people took the opportunity to enjoy a stunning musical experience before a relaxing Sunday afternoon movie.
• April 2020 Just as the Coronavirus Pandemic was putting the state into turmoil, the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Maida Vale had a new organ installed. They purchased an Allen model L-4, a two manual instrument with 27 stops, 2 channel audio system and 7 capture action thumb pistons. It has three alternative classical voicing suites available (Classic Allen, French and Baroque) plus one theatre voicing suite. The organ is also fitted with a Smart Recorder and a MIDI Expander, providing additional organ voices and orchestral voices.
Click for the complete stoplist of this instrument.
• December 2019 The end of an era!
Over the past forty years, countless people have visited our studio in Como seeking advice about digital organs. It is fair to say that Ron Raymond has built up a unique business selling classical organs in Western Australia. The marketplace has changed considerably since the 1970s when an organ was commonplace in a lounge room - and we are the only surviving company in Western Australia, specialising in both classical and theatre organs.
Over the past couple of years, we have transitioned management of the business from Ron to Rodney Raymond. The final stage in this transition has been the sale of the Como location. The location from which we have been based for the past forty years no longer belongs to us!
However, contact telephone numbers remain the same and we intend to continue to provide unmatched customer support to the Allen Organ owners in Western Australia, and to those who may be considering an Allen organ.
The reasons we exist: Incomparable Sound, Lasting Quality and Unparalleled Support.
Allen Organs has produced some interesting videos which can now be viewed on YouTube.
Click here to view Allen videos on YouTube.
